It’s the packaging – not the message – that must change for
conservatives reach more women – or so a panel of congresswomen agreed last
week.

Congresswomen attended a Conservative Women’s Panel
Discussion on Capitol Hill July 11 and deliberated how to best communicate with
women – despite media opposition. During an interview with the MRC at the
event, Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) stressed “we can’t count on the media” and that
conservative women fight “three times as hard” in order to “have our voices
heard.” Continues after video.

Conservative women, Rep. Wagner noted, “can’t count on the
media.” Media bias arises as “a reality that you have to face” she explained. “We
have to fight twice as hard, three times as hard, not only as conservatives,
but frankly as women to have our voices heard.”

As panel moderator, The Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel
introduced the event by acknowledging, “Half the voters out there are women.”
“This democratic ‘War on Women’ theme,” she continued, “has been the deciding
factor in any number of races that the conservative movement has lost.” “Which
we should’ve won, but we didn’t, in large part because women have turned away,”
she added.

“The problem here is not necessarily conservative policies,”
she admitted, but with messaging. According to Strassel, conservative women
must “go on offense” and “explain that while our conservative policies help
everybody, they particularly help women.”

When communicating with women, Rep. Noem said, “what
resonates with them, especially, is they want us to be real people” or, in
other words, “they want to see somebody who, yeah, has suffered, has struggled
a little bit maybe, but wants to do work and will work hard.”

She continued, “Even if we talk about economic policy, or
tax policy, we have to, in our brain, lock it in and think ‘This could change
people’s lives. That’s why I’m talking about this today.’”

Other congresswomen, such as Rep. Blackburn, elaborated on
women’s search to discover how policies affect them directly: “They say ‘tell
me how this is going to affect me. Tell me specifically how these policies are
going to change my ability to get a raise. The environment for jobs growth.
Opportunities for my children.’”

What women want, she continued, “is an assurance that we
have a course of action and a timeline and a plan that is going to change the
environment.” She clarified, “Women understand government doesn’t create jobs.
Businesses create jobs. Women understand that they don’t want government taking
care of them, they want the opportunity to better their lives.”

In agreement, Rep. Ellmers described how “women by-and-large
agree with us on all of the issues.”
“It’s how we’re able to articulate ourselves, make sure that we’re
getting the point across that we care before we do anything else, “she said,
“that we relate to them.”

Suggesting storytelling, Rep. Black also emphasized how
women “respond better if you can give a connection with a relationship.”

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